A Must See: Before the Music Dies

“Before the Music Dies” is a documentary Narrated by Forest Whitaker that lays out a comprehensive and cautionary story about the deteriorating state of the music business.

The Future of Music Hangs In the Balance.

The film contains interviews with music heavyweights such as Erykah Badu, Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, and Branford Marsalis. The web site has (UPDATE: used to have) tons of information including videos, trailers, screening information and ways you can get involved.

Of course a film such as this is expected to have a great soundtrack , and it doesn’t fail to deliver. It contains a ton of great music including tracks that have been previously unreleased.

This movie is a MUST SEE for anyone who is a musician and anyone who cares about the decline of the quality of music. Buy the DVD NOW.

the most important film a music fan will ever see – (XM Radio)

balanced overview of the state of the rock scene of America – (The Wall Street Journal)

passion to the eternal debate about the industry -(The New York Times)

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16 AWESOME COMMENTS

It’s been a long time coming, but many people don’t realize that the music business, is about business not music.
There will always be mass marketed, manufactured pop. So what? Everybody eats McDonald’s burgers, but sometimes you want a proper sit down meal where you eat steak and drink wine. Same with music, and now things are changing.
People are actively searching out good music, and muso’s can make this at home with sophisticated software and market it everywhere over the internet. There have already been several stars who’ve “made it” off the back of youtube, myspace et al.

They are the state of the industry. There is an entire independent music culture that gets hardly any recognition in the media, and the fact that people still rely on the medias opinion is what is disgusting.

Why the hell are corporate musicians such as Badu, Clapton, and Matthews the ones speaking out against the state of the music industry? They are the state of the industry. There is an entire independent music culture that gets hardly any recognition in the media, and the fact that people still rely on the medias opinion is what is disgusting. F*ck Prince, f*ck Dave Matthews, and f*ck Erykah Badu. If they want to support the music industry, tell them to stop signing with major labels.

The music industry is indeed broken and corrupt, and needs to die- in order to be reborn in an artist-supportive and better way. Thankfully we have a legend like Prince who single-handedly took on the music industry, getting his songs stricken from radio playlists as revenge- yet still wins the highest awards time and time again.

So long as we have Prince and others like him fighting for the music industry- it will become a better entity. And so long as Prince is around, music can never die.

The recording industry is already practically dead, far beyond saving. Nobody pays for music any more. That is a simple fact – it must be adapted to. Protesting reality will achieve nothing.

Good, I say! Art and commerce should remain seperate as far as is possible. The rapid improvement and availability of home recording equipment means that record labels are no longer a necessity.
Artists have always made negligble profits from records anyway – 99% goes to the label. Playing live is how most musicians make a living, and always has been. Only the top selling 5% make anything at all from recording.

Those who record music now can distribute it free through the internet, for the love of music. The playing field for distribution and popularity could be levelled.

“The Death of Music?” Please, spare us the melodrama. Creativity and originality can once again be allowed to flourish in a musical world liberated from the stifling “hitmaking” restrictions imposed by commercial interests.

Or maybe that’s just a load of naive, utopian nonsense. What do you think?

How is one to make a living as a musician, composer, producer under your scenario? Music would be reduced to a hobby or a toy of the idle rich. The dedication-hours over years-required to become a good, not to mention, great, musician requires a full-time commitment.

Indeed, commerce can corrupt art, but it can equally corrupt any work in any field. Should everyone work for free then? And how to pay the rent and put food on the table for the children?